Geological,physical,and chemical characteristics of seafloor hydrothermal vent fields

Seafloor hydrothermal vent fields(SHVFs) are located in the mid-ocean ridge(MOR),backarc basin(BAB),island arc and hot-spot environments and hosted mainly by ultramafic,mafic,felsic rocks,and sediments.The hydrothermal vent fluids of SHVFs have low oxygen,abnormal pH and temperature,numerous toxic compounds,and inorganic energy sources,such as sulfuric compounds,methane,and hydrogen.The geological,physical,and chemical characteristics of SHVFs provide important clues to understanding the formation and evolution of seafloor hydrothermal systems,leading to the determination of metal sources and the reconstruction of the physicochemical conditions of metallogenesis.Over the past two decades,we studied the geological settings,volcanic rocks,and hydrothermal products of SHVFs and drawn new conclusions in these areas,including:1) the hydrothermal plumes in the Okinawa Trough are affected by the Kuroshio current;2) S and Pb in the hydrothermal sulfides from MOR are mainly derived from their host igneous rocks;3) Re and Os of vent fluids are more likely to be incorporated into Fe-and Fe-Cu sulfide mineral facies,and Os is enriched under low-temperature(<200℃) hydrothermal conditions in global SHVFs;4) compared with low-temperature hydrothermal sulfides,sulfates,and opal minerals,high-temperature hydrothermal sulfides maintain the helium(He) isotopic composition of the primary vent fluid;5) relatively low temperature(<116℃),oxygenated,and acidic environment conditions are favorable for forming a native sulfur chimney,and a "glue pudding" growth model can be used to understand the origin of native sulfur balls in the Kueishantao hydrothermal field;and 6) boron isotope from hydrothermal plumes and fluids can be used to describe their diffusive processes.The monitoring and understanding of the physical structure,chemical composition,geological processes,and diverse organism of subseafloor hydrothermal systems will be a future hot spot and frontier of submarine hydrothermal geology.

Microbial community structure and diversity in deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre

The aim of this study is to investigate microbial structures and diversities in five active hydrothermal fields＇ sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre （ELSC） in the Lau Basin （southwest Pacific）. Microbial communities were surveyed by denatured gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） and clone library analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The differences in microbial community structures among sediment samples from the five deep-sea hydrothermal sites were revealed by DGGE profiles. Cluster analysis of DGGE profiles sepa- rated the five hydrothermal samples into two groups. Four different 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, repre- senting two selected hydrothermal samples （19-4TVG8 and 19-4TVG11）, were constructed. Twenty-three and 32 phylotypes were identified from 166 and 160 bacterial clones respectively, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes. The phylum Proteobacteria is dominant in both bacterial libraries with a predominance of Gamma-Proteobacteria. A total of 31 and 25 phylotypes were obtained from 160 and 130 archaeal clones respectively, including Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group, Marine Group Ⅰ and Ⅲ, Marine Benthic Group E, Terrestrial Hot Spring Crenarchaeota and Deep-sea Hy- drothermal Vent Euryarchaeota. These results show a variety of clones related to those involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that the cycling and utilization of sulfur compounds may extensively occur in the Lau Basin deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystem.

Microbial community structure and nitrogenase gene diversity of sediment from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent field on the Southwest Indian Ridge

A sediment sample was collected from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent field located at a depth of 2 951 m on the Southwest Indian Ridge. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on the prokaryotic community using polymerase chain reaction（PCR） amplification of the 16 S rRNA and nifH genes. Within the Archaea, the dominant clones were from marine benthic group E（MBGE） and marine group I（MGI） belonging to the phyla Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota, respectively. More than half of the bacterial clones belonged to the Proteobacteria, and most fell within the Gammaproteobacteria. No epsilonproteobacterial sequence was observed. Additional phyla were detected including the Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Chloroflexi, Chlorobi, Chlamydiae, Verrucomicrobia, and candidate divisions OD1, OP11, WS3 and TM6, confirming their existence in hydrothermal vent environments. The detection of nifH gene suggests that biological nitrogen fixation may occur in the hydrothermal vent field of the Southwest Indian Ridge. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that only Clusters I and III NifH were present. This is consistent with the phylogenetic analysis of the microbial 16 S rRNA genes, indicating that Bacteria play the main role in nitrogen fixation in this hydrothermal vent environment.

On Optimal Frequencies of Acoustic in-situ Detector for Seafloor Hydrothermal Vents

The approach to determine working frequencies of acoustic in-situ detector for seafloor hydrothermal fluid is presented. Based on the research of deep-sea noise and the sound generated by mid-ocean ridge black smoker hydrothermal vents, and on the hydrothermal-vent animal hearing ranges, coupled with influences of suspended particles of hydrothermal on acoustic attenuation under different frequencies, the optimal frequency range for detection of acoustical signal near black smokers is determined. The optimal frequencies providing the maximum ratio of receiver signal to background noise are obtained. We have developed a laboratory experimental setup for the optimal frequencies selection. In particular, we evaluated time-of-flight performance with respect to the source signal parameters of center frequency and bandwidth. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach. Current results indicate that individual transducers operated in the range of 18 - 25 kHz are immune to most interfering sounds and suitable for our system.

Molecular diversity of Thermococcales isolated from Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vents

Members of Thermococcales are organoheterotrophic hyperthermophilic anaerobes consisting of three genera, Thermococcus, Pyrococcus, and Palaeococcus, among which Thermococcus are the most frequently isolated. In this study, a variety of Thermococcales strains were isolated from the Guaymas Basin hydrother- mal vents under different temperatures and pressures. Based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, all the s- trains isolated from 85℃ or 95℃ enrichment cultures at ambient pressure were classified as Thermococcus, while strains isolated from 108℃-30 MPa enrichment cultures belonged to Pyrococcus. The combination of high pressure and high temperature for enrichment was shown to be an efficient method for isolating Pyro- coccus strains. Through selecting and analyzing with multiple molecular phylogenetic markers, the isolated Thermococcales strains were found quite diversified including several putative novel species. This demon- strates a vast genetic reservoir of Thermoccoccales in the deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and a fast evolving of the Thermococcales species adapting to the fast changing environment.

A multi-channel chemical sensor and its application in detecting hydrothermal vents

There are well-established chemical and turbidity anomalies in the plumes occurring vicinity of hydrothermal vents, which are used to indicate their existence and locations. We here develop a small, accurate multi-channel chemical sensor to detect such anomalies which can be used in deep-sea at depths of more than 4 000 m. The design allowed five all-solid-state electrodes to be mounted on it and each (apart from one reference electrode) could be changed according to chemicals to be measured. Two experiments were conducted using the chemical sensors. The first was a shallow-sea trial which included sample measurements and in situ monitoring. pH, Eh, CO3^2- and SO4^2- electrodes were utilized to demonstrate that the chemical sensor was accurate and stable outside the laboratory. In the second experiment, the chemical sensor was integrated with pH, Eh, CO3^2- and H2S electrodes, and was used in 29 scans of the seabed along the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) to detect hydrothermal vents, from which 27 sets of valid data were obtained. Hydrothermal vents were identified by analyzing the chemical anomalies, the primary judging criteria were decreasing voltages of Eh and H2S, matched by increasing voltages of pH and CO3^2- . We proposed that simultaneous detection of changes in these parameters will indicate a hydrothermal vent. Amongst the 27 valid sets of data, five potential hydrothermal vents were targeted using the proposed method. We suggest that our sensors could be widely employed by marine scientists.

Ecology detection of moderate thermophilic enrichment at Lau Basin hydrothermal vents

Culturable thermophilic microorganisms were enriched from samples collected from Lau Basin hydrothermal vents in artificial seawater medium at 45 ℃ and pH 7.0. Microbial diversities of the enriched communities were defined by performing a restriction fragment length polymorphism （RFLP） analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences with enzymes MspI and Hin6 I. A total of 14 phylotypes have been detected by the RFLP patterns identified for 16S rRNA clone libraries of the enrichment. Analysis of sequences showed that at least four bacterial divisions presented in the clones libraries. The phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the most dominant groups. The majority of the sequences included in this analysis affiliated with Gamma Proteobacteria （71%） and Bacillus （23%）. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that there were abundant rod and coceoidal forms encased in sulphur and sodium chloride precipitate. These results revealed that there were a diversity of moderate thermophilic bacterial populations thrived in Lau Basin hydrothermal vents that were previously not detected by either molecular retrieval or strain purification techniques.

Advances in the microbial mineralization of seafloor hydrothermal systems

Research on the biomineralization in modern seafloor hydrothermal systems is conducive to unveiling the mysteries of the early Earth’s history, life evolution, subsurface biosphere and microbes in outer space. The hydrothermal biomineralization has become a focus of geo-biological research in the last decade, since the introduction of the microelectronic technology and molecular biology technology. Microorganisms play a critical role in the formations of oxide/hydroxides (e.g. Fe, Mn, S and Si oxide/hydroxides) and silicates on the seafloor hydrothermal systems globally. Furthermore, the biomineralization of modern chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms is regarded as a nexus between the geosphere and the biosphere, and as an essential complement of bioscience and geology. In this paper, we summarize the research progress of hydrothermal biomineralization, including the biogenic minerals, the microbial biodiversity, and also the interactions between minerals and microorganisms. In the foreseeable future, the research on hydrothermal biomineralization will inspire the development of geosciences and biosciences and thus enrich our knowledge of the Earth’s history, life evolution and even astrobiology.

Bubble Glow at Hydrothermal Vents as the <i>PeTa</i>Radiation

The paper presents a physical model of a natural phenomenon, the glow of bubbles at hydrothermal vents formed during underwater volcanic activity. The basis of the model is characteristic non-equilibrium radiation under first order phase transitions that since 2010 has been referred to as the PeTa (Perelman-Tatartchenko) effect. This is the fourth paper in a series developing the model for similar physical phenomena: cavitational luminescence (CL), multi-bubble sonoluminescence (MBSL), single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) and laser-induced bubble luminescence (LIBL). The previous three papers were published during 2017-2018 in this Journal. In the third one we have shown that above mentioned physical effects can be generalized as a phenomenon that we have titled “Vapour bubble luminescence” (VBL). VBL is very clearly represented in a non-equilibrium phase diagram. The essence of VBL is as follows: when there is a local decrease in pressure and/or an increase of temperature in a tiny volume of a liquid occurs, one or several bubbles filled with vapour will appear. Subsequently a very rapid pressure increase and/or temperature decrease in the same volume of liquid leads to supersaturation of the vapour inside the bubble. Upon reaching critical vapor density, instantaneous vapour condensation and emission of the phase transition energy that is accompanied by a flash (this is the PeTa effect) results in a sharp pressure decrease and the bubble collapses due to the pressure drop. This process is accompanied by a shock wave in the liquid. A similar effect occurs if bubbles filled with hot steam, for example from a cappuccino machine, are injected into a relatively large volume of cold water. The VBL model explains all experimental data concerning CL/MBSL/SBSL/LIBL and the relatively new natural phenomenon, the glow of bubbles at hydrothermal vents. Several model experiments demonstrate the PeTa effect under similar conditions. Additionally, we define the PeTa effect in all its manifestations on a non-equilibrium phase diagram. This clarifies which niches can contain VBL processes. We also demonstrate the window of transparency (WT) for the PeTa radiation during crystallization of a supercooled tellurium melt and propose the design of a cavity-free pulsed laser on the basis of similar crystallization processes.

Magmatic-Hydrothermal Superlarge Metallogenic Systems——A Case Study of the Nannihu Ore Field

Located in the Qinling （秦岭） molybdenum metallogenic belt on the southern margin of North China craton, the Nannihu （南泥湖） molybdenum （-tungsten） ore field, consisting of the Nannihu, Sandaozhuang （三道幢）, and Shangfang （上房） deposits, represents a superlarge skarn-porphyry molybdenum （-tungsten） accumulation. Outside the ore field, there are some hydrothermal lead-zinc-silver deposits found in recent years, for example, the Lengshuibeigou （冷水北沟）, Yindonggou （银涧沟）, Yangshuwa （杨树凹）, and Yinhegou （银河沟） deposits. Ore-forming fluid geochemistry indicates that these deposits belong to the same metallogenic system. The hydrothermal solutions were mainly derived from primary magmatic water in the early stage and from the mixture of the primary magmatic water and meteoric water in the later stage, with an obvious decreasing tendency in temperature, salinity and gas-liquid ratio of fluid inclusions. Sulfur and lead isotope data show that the ore-forming substances and related porphyries were mainly derived from the lower crust, and a hidden magmatic chamber is indicated by aeromagnetic anomaly and drill hole data indicate that the Nannihu granite body extends to being larger and larger with depth increasing. The large-scale mineralization was the consequence of lithospheric extension during the late stage of the tectonic regime when the main compressional stress changed from NS-trending to EW-trending.

Behaviors of ^(210)Pb and ^(210)Po around hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough

Vertical profiles for the uranium-series radioisotopes 210Pb and 210Po were obtained at thetwo hydrothermal vent sites, the Iheya Ridge and the Minami-Ensei Knoll, in the Mid-Okinawa Trough in 1993 and 1994, respectively. In 1995, both radioisotopes were measured at the Minami-Ensei Knoll a-gain. At the Iheya Ridge, where the hydrothermal activity is not active as reflected by the CH_4 and 222Rn data, both the total 210Pb and 210Po activities show deficiency relative to their parents, and the mean residence time of 210Pb and 210Po is approximately equal to 20 and 2-5 a, respectively. At the Minami-Ensei Knoll, which is characterized by black smokers, the total 210Pb(0.167 × 10^(-3)-2.5 × 10^(-3) Bq/kg) around the plumes is deficient relative to 226Ra but the total 210Po activities (1.83 × 10^(-3) - 2.83 × 10^(-3) Bq/kg) are in excess relative to 210Pb. The 210Po activities are higher than those in the East China Sea and the Okinawa Trough and excess 210Po has been found. The 210Pb/226Ra and 210Po/10Pb activity ratios are 0.1-0.4 and 1.1-7.8, respectively. 210Pb is preferentially scavenged in the hydrothermal plumes. The possible mechanisms governing the concentration of 210Pb in the Minami-Ensei Knoll involve a lateral transport of 210Pb via diffusion. The high 210Po/210Pb activity ratios in the hydrothermal plumes suggest a depletion of 210Pb and addition of 210Po in the hydrothermal vent area.

PRACTICAL AND PREDICTIVE MODELLING OF ORE DEPOSITS IN HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS

Over the pastfive years,we have been making efforts to develop a practical and predic- tive tool to exploreforgiantore deposits in hydrothermal systems. Towards this goal,a sig- nificant progress has been made towards a better understanding of the basic physical and chemical processes behind ore body formation and mineralization in hydrothermal systems. On the scientific developmentside,we have developed analytical solutions to answerthe fol- lowing scientific questions:(1) Can thepore- fluid pressure gradientbemaintained atthe val- ue of the lithostaticpressure gradientin the uppercrustof the Earth?and(2 ) Can convective pore- fluid flow take place in the uppercrustof the Earth ifthere is a fluid/mass leakage from the mantle to the upper crustof the Earth?On the modelling developmentside,we have developed numerical methods to model the following problems:(1) convective pore- fluid flow in two- dimensional hydrothermal systems;(2 ) coupled reactive pore- fluid flow and multiple species transport in porous media;(3) precipitation and dissolution of minerals and rock al- teration in the upper crust of the Earth;(4 ) double diffusion driven reactive flow transport in deformable fluid- saturated porous media with particular consideration of temperature- de- pendentchemical reaction rates;(5 ) pore- fluid flow patterns neargeological lenses in hydro- dynamic and hydrothermal systems;(6 ) dissipative structures for nonequilibrium chemical reactions in fluid- saturated porousmedia;(7) convectivepore- fluid flow and the related min- eralization in three- dimensional hydrothermal systems;(8) fluid- rock interaction problems associated with the rock alteration and metamorphic process in fluid- saturated hydrothermal/ sedimentary basins;and (9) various aspects of the fully coupled problem involving material deformation,pore- fluid flow,heattransferand species transport/ chemical reactionsin pore- fluid saturated porous rock masses. The above- mentioned work has significantly enriched our knowledge about the physical and chemical processes related to ore body formation and mineralization in the upper crustof the

Study on the High Precision Acoustic Measurement Techniques for Determining Temperature Field Around Seafloor Hydrothermal Vent

This paper presents the basis of acoustic method used for temperature field measurement of seafloor hydrothermal vent and two techniques of the parabolic interpolation and the bending compensation of propagation paths of acoustic signal are introduced. Experimental research is performed to exactly rebuild the temperature field around hot springs on the floor of Qiezishan Lake, Yunnan, China. The accuracy of the travel time estimation has been improved based on the aforementioned technique and method. At the same time, by comparison of the results of temperature field with different means, the max absolute error, the maximum relative error and the root mean square error are given. It shows that the technique and the method presented in the paper can be applied to the temperature field measurement detector around the seafloor hydrothermal vent. It also has a good accuracy.

Negative Haloes and Geochemical Field Systems of Hydrothermal Deposits

Primary haloes of hydrothermal deposits were previously considered as positive haloes. Although it has been recently suggested that primary haloes incude positive and negative ones, almost all the research work on primary haloes has still focused on positive haloes for various reasons. In order to understand the source of ore substances a number of large hydrothermal deposits related to magmatism including porphyry, skarn and vein type deposits have been studied. It has been found that negative haloes exist on the peripheries of positive haloes of a mineral deposit. On the basis of the study the authors propose the concept of the geochemical field system of ore-forming elements of hydrotherreal deposits, i. e., with the orebody as the centre outwards there occur the mineralized field, positive halo field, depleted field and background field successively.

Characterization of DNA polymerase δ from deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata

DNA polymerase δ(Polδ)plays a crucial and versatile role in DNA replication and DNA repair processes.Vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata is the primary megafaunal community living in hydrothermal vents.In this study,the Polδfrom shrimp Rimicaris exoculata was cloned,expressed and characterized.The results showed that the Polδcatalytic subunit(POLD1),852 amino acids in length,shared high homology with crayfish Procambarus clarkii and shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria.The recombinant POLD1 expressed in Escherichia coli showed that the enzyme was active in a range of 20℃ to 40℃ with an optimum temperature at 25℃ and in a wide range of p H with an optimum at pH 6.0.The activities of POLD1 were significantly enhanced in the presence of Triton-X 100,Tween 20 and Mn^(2+).The K_(m)(dNTP)value of POLD1 was 4.7μmol/L.The present study would be helpful to reveal the characterization of Polδof deep-sea vent animals.

Subaerial hot springs and near-surface hydrothermal mineral systems past and present,and possible extraterrestrial analogues

The principal features,geotectonic settings and association with near-surface hydrothermal mineral systems of ancient and present subaerial hot springs,fumaroles and geysers are herein reviewed.Fumaroles and geysers usually occur in volcanic craters and are in most cases,part and parcel of hot spring environments.Subaerial hot springs are characterised by siliceous-and carbonate-rich chemical sediments,such as sinters and travertines,respectively.Sinters are commonly enriched in various metalliferous elements.Hot springs surface discharges are also characterised by pools,which exhibit bright colours due to the presence of microorganisms.Present-day examples discussed in this paper,include the fumaroles and hot springs of the White Island volcano(New Zealand),the world-renowned Yellowstone caldera(USA)and the Afar region of the East African Rift System.The Afar triangle,in the northern part of East African Rift System,provides a good example of hot springs associated with evaporative deposits.The Tuli-Sabi-Lebombo triple junction rifts were formed during the^180 Ma Karoo igneous event in southern Africa,of which the Tuli arm is the failed rift(aulacogen),as is the Afar region.The Tuli rift is effectively an unusual,if not unique,tectono-thermal setting,because it comprises Karoo-age hot springs systems and associated vein stockworks and breccias,which includes the Messina Cu deposit as well as currently active hot springs with sinter deposits probably due to post-Karoo uplift.Fumarolic pipes in ignimbrites of the Erongo Volcano-Plutonic Complex in Namibia are discussed.This is followed by an example of banded chert rocks in the Killara Formation of the Palaeoproterozoic Capricorn Orogen(Western Australia),interpreted as hot spring chemical sediments,which also show evidence of"fossil"microbial filaments.The paper ends with a brief overview of possible analogues of hot springs on planet Mars.

Optimal Scheduling of Cascaded Hydrothermal Systems Using a New Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Technique

Optimum scheduling of hydrothermal plants generation is of great importance to electric utilities. Many evolutionary techniques such as particle swarm optimization, differential evolution have been applied to solve these problems and found to perform in a better way in comparison with conventional optimization methods. But often these methods converge to a sub-optimal solution prematurely. This paper presents a new improved particle swarm optimization technique called self-organizing hierarchical particle swarm optimization technique with time-varying acceleration coefficients (SOHPSO_TVAC) for solving short-term economic generation scheduling of hydrothermal systems to avoid premature convergence. A multi-reservoir cascaded hydrothermal system with nonlinear relationship between water discharge rate, power generation and net head is considered here. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated on two test systems comprising of hydro and thermal units. The results obtained by the proposed methods are compared with other methods. The results show that the proposed technique is capable of producing better results.

Investigation into extremely acidic hydrothermal fluids off Kueishan Tao, Taiwan, China

Kueishan Tao (24°51′N, 121°55′E) is located at a tectonic junction of the fault system extension of Taiwan and the southern rifting end of the Okinawa Trough. A cluster of over 30 vents, at a water depth of about 10-20 m off the eastern tip of the tao emits hy-drothermal fluids and volcanic gases such as H2S. A sulfur chimney or mound, formed by condensation of the sulfur contained in the hydrothermal fluid, can usually be seen around the vents. The tallest chimney reaches 6 m. Vents discharging a yellowish fluid have temperatures between 92 and 116 ℃ and flow rates as high as 158 t/h; vents discharging a whitish fluid have lower temperatures of between 48 and 62 ℃ and lower flow rates of about 7.0 t/h. These world-record, breaking low pH (as low as 1.52) fluids are totally different from those found in the black and white-chimneys of the mid-ocean ridges. Magnesium and SiO2 data indicate that these hydrothermal fluids probably originate from a depth of 915-1 350 m below the surface.While the ratios of major ions relative to the sodium of these hydrothermal fluids are quite similar to open ocean water, the ratios of SO4 and chloride to sodium seem to be higher for some of the vents. It is suggested that the volcanic gases contribute SO4 and chlorine to the fluids, hence increasing their ratios relative to sodium. Some hydrothermal fluids, however, are found to be depleted of the major elements which can have been caused by phase separation. The concentrations of iron and manganese in the fluids are much lower than those found in the mid-ocean ridges, while the aluminium content is higher. Four species of benthos (Xenograpsus testudi-natus, a snail, a sea anemone, and a Sipuncala), 1 species of algae (Corallinaceae), and 1 species of fish (Siganus fusescens) were recorded near the hydrothermal vents. A mitochondria DNA sequence comparison of Xenograpsus testudinatus with 6 other decapod species shows the greatest number of nitrogen base differences in the DNA fragments from 225 to 270. The gene diversity in this DNA region possibly results from the unusual habitat. A sediment core was collected at a pond near the eastern side of the tao. No volcanic ash could be detected in the core sample spanning 3 620 a.

DESIGN OF NOVEL HIGH PRESSURE-RESISTANT HYDROTHERMAL FLUID SAMPLE VALVE

Sampling study is an effective exploration method, but the most extreme environments of hydrothermal vents pose considerable engineering challenges for sampling hydrothermal fluids. Moreover, traditional sampler systems with sample valves have difficulty in maintaining samples in situ pressure. However, decompression changes have effect on microorganisms sensitive to such stresses. To address the technical difficulty of collecting samples from hydrothermal vents, a new bidirectional high pressure-resistant sample valve with balanced poppet was designed. The sample valve utilizes a soft high performance plastic ＂PEEK＂ as poppet. The poppet with inapposite dimension is prone to occur to plastic deformation or rupture for high working pressure in experiments. To address this issue, based on the fmite element model, simulated results on stress distribution of the poppet with different structure parameters and preload spring force were obtained. The static axial deformations on top of the poppet were experimented. The simulated results agree with the experimental results. The new sample valve seals well and it can withstand high working pressure.

Key genes expression of reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle from deep-sea hydrothermal chemolithoautotrophic Caminibacter profundus in response to salinity, pH and O_2

CO2 fixation pathway of Caminibacter profundus, a chemolithoautotrophic e-Proteobacteria from deep-sea hydrothermal vent, was determined and characterized by genetic and enzymatic analyses. Gene expression of key enzymes for CO2 fixation in response to salinity, pH and O2 in Medium 829 were also investigated. The results demonstrate that C. profundus contained aclB, porA and oorA, the genes encoding key enzymes of reductive tricarboxylic acid （rTCA） cycle. However, genes fragments of cbbL and cbbMencoding key enzyme of Calvin cycle were not recovered. Key enzymatic activities of ATP citrate lyase （ACL）, pyruvate： ferredoxin oxidoreductase （POR） and 2-oxoglutarate： ferredoxin oxidoreductase （OOR） were also present in C. profun- dus. The combination of genetic and enzymatic analyses confirm that C. profundus adopted rTCA cycle for carbon assimilation. The results of aclB and oorA relative expressions of C. profundus demonstrate that the ranges of environmental factors for high genes expression were sea salt 3.0%-5.0% （optimum 3.0%）, pH 5.0-6.5（optimum pH 6.5）, anaerobic to microaerobic conditions （optimum 1.0% 02）. Gene expression pat- terns under different conditions show similar patterns with bacterial growth, revealing that key rTCA cycle genes provided molecular basis for bacterial growth and propagation. Our results suggest that C. profun- dus could regulate key genes of rTCA cycle for carbon assimilation and energy metabolism in response to environmental fluctuations in hydrothermal vent.